Pay Equity and Qualification Equivalency
As part of both the 2017 aged care and support pay equity settlement, and the 2018 mental health and addiction support worker settlement, workers can qualify for pay equity via either job tenure, or level of qualification.
For qualification-based pay equity, support workers either need to have an actual New Zealand Certificate in Health & Wellbeing (Level 2–4), or a qualification which has been assessed as equivalent to it.
Changes to Careerforce’s role in Pay Equity
Between June 2017 and December 2019, Careerforce was tasked with the responsibility of assessing qualifications for equivalence to the New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (levels 2, 3 and 4) for the purpose of pay equity only – it did not result in the actual awarding of the Health and Wellbeing qualifications.
During this time Careerforce have:
- processed over 8,000 individual applications
- assessed over 1,800 qualifications, domestic and international
- assessed over 1,000 qualifications as being equivalent for the purposes of pay equity.
From 2020, employees can still achieve the wage rates as specified in the Care and Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlement Act 2017 (the Act) through either:
- equivalency by reviewing the extensive list of over 1000 qualifications already assessed as equivalent (see Qualifications Assessed for Equivalence), or
- completing the Health & Wellbeing Level 2, 3, 4 qualifications via a training provider of their choice (talk to your employer about what assistance it can offer in attaining the qualification), or
- tenure for the existing workforce as at 30 June 2017 (Please refer to the appropriate Operational Policy on the Ministry’s website for further information).
More information
*View a list of Qualifications Assessed for Equivalence.
The list of qualification equivalencies is final but will remain available for care and support workers and their employers to determine appropriate wage rates payable under the Act for workers with qualifications other than the Health & Wellbeing Level 2, 3, 4 qualifications.
*Note: Pay equity assessments do not lead to the awarding of the actual New Zealand qualification and no email or written confirmation will be supplied for any equivalence decision.